Burial vault



Nov. 7, 1933. w. c. BRoUGHToN I 1,934,522

BURIAL VAULT Filed Feb. 5, 1952 ELJE. 3

Walter dB roughn,

ATTORNEYp ENVENTOR.'

Patented Nov. 7, 1933 BURIAL VA ULT Walter C.' Broughton, Kansas City, M0. Application February 5, 1932. Serial No. 591,111

2 Claims.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in burial vaults of that type which are placed in the grave for the reception and protection of the coffin or casket, and one object is the provision of a vault of this character which will effectively exclude water or moisture from the casket placed therein for protection.

A further object is to provide a vault composed preferably of parts which can be readily lowered piece by piece and assembled in the grave, thereby avoiding the expense of transporting a heavy object of this character made in one unit at a factory and lowering it into the grave, operations requiring special apparatus and a large amount of labor.

Another object is to provide a substantial burial vault which can be constructed at minimum eX- pense, and in order that the invention may be readily understood reference will now be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal horizontal section on line 1 1 of Fig. 2, showing the vault in position in a grave.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of a pair of sills employed in carrying out the invention.

Referring in detail to the different parts, 2, 2, designate a pair of sills having longitudinal oisets 4 in which the walls of an outer case 6 are adapted to be seated. The outer case 6 is open at its top and bottom and comprises end Walls 8 and side walls 10. Preferably, the end and side walls 8 and 10, respectively, are separate from each other so that they can be lowered into the grave A one by one and seated in the offsets 4 of the sills 2. Any suitable means may be employed for connecting the end walls 3 to the side walls 10. In the present instance I have shown such means in the form of wires 12 secured to the respective .walls 8 and 10 and their other ends free to be twisted together. As a further means of holding the walls 8 and lo together certain of said walls, in the present instance the side walls 10, are notched at their ends as indicated at 14 for the reception of the ends of the walls 8 as shown by Fig. 1.

16 designates an inner case which, like the outer case, may be left open at the top and bottom to reduce the cost of construction to a minimum. In the present instance, however, I have shown said inner case comprising a bottom wall 1'7, end walls 18 and side walls 20, which latter are preferably notched at their ends as indicated at 22 for the reception of the ends of the walls 18.` YThe end and side walls 18 and 20, respectively, are secured together by suitable means such as wires 21 arranged similar to the wires 12. 60

The bottom wall 17 has a marginal offset 23 for the reception of the lower edges of walls 18 and 2O and to cooperate with the wires 21 in holding said walls 18 and 20 in place.

The outer case 6 is enough larger than the 65 inner case 16 to leave an intervening space which surrounds the latter for the reception of a waterproof material 30.' The walls of the inner case 16 are of less height than those of the outer case as shown by Figs. 2 and 3, so that when pitch, or other suitable cementitious waterproof SQ material 30. The walls of the outer case 6, if made separate as preferred, are then lowered one by one into the grave and assembled with the end walls 8 resting in the offsets 4 of the sills 2 and the ends of the side walls l0 also resting in said 35 offsets, the flanges 32 extending around the o1- sets forming a gage for proper placement of the end and side walls 8 and 10, respectively. The bottom wall 17 is then placed upon the waterproof bottom 30 after which drain tubes 36 are 90 installed in openings in said bottom wall 17 and forced through the cementitious bottom layer 30 and into the ground for the purpose of carrying off any moisture from the body within the casket.

The end and side walls 18 and 20, respectively, of 95 the inner case are then lowered upon the bottom wall 17 and connected together in the same manner as the walls of the outer case 6. The space surrounding the inner case 16 is then iilled with additional material '30 after which the casket, 100

not shown, is placed within the inner case 16. The lid 26 is then placed upon the upper edge of the walls 18 and 20 and covered with additional material 30, which together with the other material 30 already placed in position, forms a con- ,105

tinuous waterproof closure completely surrounding the inner case 16 and its lid 26. If the material 30 is of a kind that quickly sets it may not be necessary to utilize the planks or slabs 28, but if a kind that sets slowlyY the planks or slabs are 1 10 placed upon the outer case 6 to protect the top layer 30 from becoming damaged when the grave is refilled with the earth removed during the eX- cavating operation.

The Walls of the outer and inner cases 6 and 16, respectively, may be made of wood or metal as the material 30 when set forms a substantial protection for the casket, but preferably said Walls, the lid 26 and the members 28 are constructed of concrete or like cementitious material which lwill last indefinitely and provide additional and spaced apart to leave an intervening space, a lid to said inner case, a pair of sills upon which the ends of the outer case rest, a layer of waterproof material covering the space between the sills and upon which said cases rest, waterproof material filling the space between the cases, and Waterproof material covering the lid of the inner case and cooperating with the other Waterproof material in forming a continuous wall entirely enclosing said inner case.

2. A vault of the character described comprising a pair of sills each having a longitudinal and end flanges which cooperate in forming an offset in the respective sills, an outer case including end walls resting in said offset and against the respective longitudinal flanges, and side walls having their ends resting in the offsets and against the respective end flanges; an inner case spaced from and arranged Within said outer case, and Waterproofing material lling the space between the inner and outer cases.

Y f WALTER C. BROUGHTON. 

